Constitution and By-Laws

CLAMS CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

CONSTITUTION

Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the College Librarians and Media Specialists (CLAMS) of Washington State.

Amended 5/7/95, changed from CCLAMS.

Article II. Objectives

The objectives of this organization shall be:

To promote the professions of Librarianship and Education Media

To raise the quality of community college library services

To investigate library and media developments and practices in order to meet the needs of the instructional program

To promote interlibrary cooperation

To provide a means of idea sharing

To promote fellowship and harmony among librarians and media specialists

To encourage systematic recruitment into all phases of both professions

To work cooperatively with the Library and Media Directors' Council (LMDC) in matters of system-wide concern

To promote integration and cooperation of library and media services into the college programs

Article III. Membership

Membership shall be of three classes: active, associate, and honorary.

Article IV. Officers

The officers of this organization shall consist of a President, a President Elect, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. No officer shall be eligible to more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

Amended 10/96 to separate Secretary and Treasurer positions.

Article V. Elections

Section 1

A committee on nominations consisting of three members shall be appointed by the Executive Board in January. The President shall designate one of the appointees to serve as committee chair. The committee shall be responsible for securing nominations for President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer, when appropriate, and President, if the incumbent President-Elect will not serve as president the following year.

Section 2

Elections shall be held at the general meeting in Spring. Members who cannot be present may vote by absentee ballot. Terms of office are one year for President, President-Elect and Secretary and two years for Treasurer.

Section 3

A slate of nominees will be presented by the President electronically on the CLAMS listserv four weeks before the Spring Meeting, and a call for further nominations will be made at the Spring Meeting so that the assembly may nominate other people for office besides the nominees presented by the election committee. In the case of a contested race, a ballot may be prepared at the Spring Meeting. A vote shall be taken. Members unable to attend the Spring Meeting may obtain an absentee ballot by contacting the election committee chair. Absentee ballots shall contain provision for write-in candidates, not only the names of nominees submitted by the election committee. Absentee ballots must be received by the election committee chair before the Spring meeting so that they can be counted. Only active members are eligible to vote. The election committee chair shall inform the President of the election results. Results of the election will be announced by the President.

Section 4

If any elected position becomes vacant, with the exception of that of President, the remaining members of the Board shall choose a member to fill the vacancy for the unexpired part of the term.

Section 5

If the office of President is vacated, the President-Elect shall automatically become President.

Article VI. Meetings

Meetings of this organization shall be in the Fall and Spring unless otherwise ordered by the organization or the Executive Board. Meetings shall be held in various geographical locations of the state with an effort made to balance travel of members.

Article VII. Amendment

This constitution and its bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting by a two-thirds vote of those present and voting. It may also be amended in a special meeting called for that purpose, with one month's notice in writing and a two-thirds vote. It may also be amended by telephone or mailed vote if two-thirds of the total membership concur with the proposed amendment.

BY-LAWS

Article I. Membership

Section 1

All persons serving in a professional capacity as librarians, media specialists or Library Media directors in community colleges in the state shall be considered active members upon payment of annual dues.

Section 2

Any person wishing to affiliate with this organization may do so, and will be considered an associate member upon payment of annual dues.

Section 3

This organization may elect into honorary membership by majority vote a person from outside the organization.

Section 4

Associate and honorary members shall not be voting members.

Section 5

All active members will become eligible for lifetime membership upon retirement from the community college system.

Amendment passed 5/18/90 to add section 5.

Article IA. Dues

Section 1

Two categories of dues shall be assessed. Institutional dues shall entitle all qualified professional staff to activate membership status without payment of any additional personal dues. Personal dues shall be accepted when individual community college libraries do not pay institutional dues.

Section 2

Dues shall be based on the academic year and the amount shall be determined by the Executive Board prior to the preceding spring meeting. The rate of dues shall be determined based on a budget approved by the Executive Board. Libraries with separate library budgets shall be considered separate institutions, while a library branch which comes under the budget of its main library shall be included under the dues of the main institution.

Section 3

Community college libraries shall be billed for institutional dues after July 1 each year.

Article II. Meetings

Section 1

Regular meetings shall be as stated in Article VI of the Constitution.

Section 2

Special meetings may be called by the President, the Executive Board, or by a call of 25 percent of the active membership.

Section 3

Active membership present shall constitute a quorum at the regular business meeting. One-third of the total active membership shall constitute a quorum at a special meeting.

Article III. Duties of Officers

Section 1. President

The President shall preside at meetings, appoint committees, be responsible for the ongoing business of the organization, serve as a member of the Executive Board and shall be ex-officio member of all committees. The President or his or her designee shall serve as the representative to the Library and Media Directors' Council.

Amended section 1 on 5/7/93.

Section 2. President-Elect

The President-Elect shall serve in the absence of the President, shall immediately become President upon vacancy in the office of President, shall serve as a member of the Executive Board, be executor of Executive Board desires, and serve as ex-officio member of those committees as designated by the President.

Section 3. Secretary

The Secretary is the recording officer of the organization and shall maintain all files of correspondence, records, the minutes of the business meetings, and keep a current membership list. The Secretary shall coordinate the update of the membership directory. The Secretary shall serve as a member of the Executive Board.

Amended 5/9/03, Secretary’s duty to register attendees for meetings moved to Treasurer.

Section 4. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall collect dues annually and be responsible for the accumulation and disbursements of all funds of the organization. The Treasurer shall maintain all financial records and shall serve as a member of the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall handle registration for meetings.